A Very Bad Day
by Mythrae
Summary: A Mackenzie Weyr Story. Cailleath is the moodiest, crankiest gold dragon anyone has ever met - and when she has a bad day, how is her rider Gwyn going to deal with it? Please R & R.


A Very Bad Day

"Cailleath, sweet, are you going to eat or not?" Gwyn's voice was somewhat exasperated as she watched her golden dragon crouch on a ledge just above the feeding grounds. "There are others waiting, you know."

_I'm thinking,_ the queen snapped back, her head swaying back and forth, eyeing the bawling, frightened animals before her. _They're all skinny._

Gwyn sighed.

"They're not all skinny, Cailleath. Look at that one there, he's plump. Looks tasty."

_Looks stringy and not worth the effort,_ Cailleath replied moodily. _I'm not hungry after all._

Cailleath pointedly crouched lower and offered a foreleg to her rider. Gwyn shrugged her shoulders and swung onto the gold. Cailleath leapt from her perch and glided down to their weyr.

"It's been nearly two sevendays since you've eaten, you know," Gwyn reminded her weyrmate as they landed. "You must be a little hungry. Would you prefer to hunt for food?"

_No,_ Cailleath grumped. _I'm not hungry._

Gwyn sighed again and after a quick scrubbing of the gold dragon's headknobs, headed into her sleeping quarters. In the larger part of the weyr, Cailleath could be heard grumbling and hissing to herself as she settled down for a snooze. It wasn't easy living with such a personality, Gwyn thought to herself as she sat down at her sandtable and picked up the stylus. But it's worth it. Loving thoughts filled her head and Gwyn felt them echoed from Cailleath. The gold never showed it to anyone else, but Gwyn knew that their bond was truer than many in that Gwyn was one of the few people who would stand up to Cailleath's temper.

"Is it safe to come in?" T'vor's head peeked around the edge of the corridor leading to the Council Room. He was nervous of Cailleath too, but he wanted to press his advantage with Gwyn because it was getting very close to the time...

"Come on in, T'vor," Gwyn sat back and layed her stylus down. It looked like she wouldn't get much work done today! "Cailleath won't actually hurt you, you know."

"I know," T'vor nodded, coming into the room and flopping into one of Gwyn's chairs. "But those looks could freeze Thread in mid air. And the way she growls! You'd think she was..." T'vor's voice died off as he approached the taboo subject.

Gwyn grimaced. It wasn't that she didn't know that Cailleath was getting close to her first rising, but she didn't really want to think about it. It was the dragon's moment and Gwyn was just an accessory to the act. That she would end up in bed with the conquering bronze's rider was incidental. Cailleath would rise and there was no stopping it.

"Anyways," T'vor started again. "I came to see if you wanted to come swimming. Rinth wants a bath in the warm waters of Southern Weyr and he suggested inviting you and Cailleath to come along."

"Oh, T'vor, I don't know," Gwyn shook her head slowly. "Cailleath is really bad tempered today. I don't think she wants to do anything except grumble and sleep."

"I noticed she didn't eat this morning," T'vor reminded his junior weyrwoman. "Maybe a warm bath and some friendly company might help her appetite?"

Gwyn shrugged at him and got to her feet.

"I'll ask her," she promised, heading out to Cailleath's part of the weyr. "But I don't guarantee anything."

Cailleath was still awake, her eyes open and her tail flicking irritably.

"Cailleath dear, Rinth has invited you to come swimming with him and T'vor and me at Southern," Gwyn informed the dragon. "It sounds like fun. Shall we go?"

_No._

"Why not?"

_Don't want to._ The dragon's voice was petulant.

"So you'd ruin my fun just because you don't want to?" Gwyn snapped at the gold. "Fine, be that way. Ungrateful wherry-bred nuisance."

Gwyn turned her back on Cailleath and winked at the shocked T'vor.

There was silence for a few moments, then Cailleath spoke.

_Fine,_ she said, her mental voice cranky, but Gwyn could hear the anxious concern in it. After all, it wouldn't do for Cailleath to show remorse for anything! _I want to go swimming._

"You said you didn't," Gwyn pointed out coldly. T'vor, only hearing Gwyn's side of the argument, stayed quiet.

_I do now,_ Cailleath snapped, rising to her feet. _We're going swimming._

"Maybe I don't want to now," Gwyn suggested, still with her back to the dragon. She knew that if their eyes met, she wouldn't be able to keep the charade up.

_Please?_ Cailleath's mental tone was softer and Gwyn finally turned.

"All right, love, let's go swimming then," Gwyn hugged Cailleath as far around her neck as she could reach and T'vor smiled. He had seen Gwyn's handling of the gold before, but each time was different. It was based on love and affection and the knowledge that Cailleath's enormous pride had to be kept intact. Only with Gwyn alone did Cailleath show her other side.

Gwyn looked around then, wondering where her fire lizard Doog was. He was a flighty blue that knew not to bother Cailleath and was not usually around, although he came promptly when Gwyn called.

Sure enough, the blue zipped into the weyr and landed happily on Gwyn's shoulder, rubbing a sun warmed cheek into her hair.

"So there you are, Doog!" she laughed, stroking him. "Coming to bathe Cailleath?"

Doog cheeped hesitantly and looked around at the gold. Cailleath peered down and snorted disdainfully. But it was obviously enough for Doog for he chirped his agreement and took off out of the weyr.

It wasn't long before the two dragons were winging high over the Weyr then blinked out and into the hot sun of Southern. The cove T'vor had chosen was deserted and after landing their riders on the beach, Rinth and Cailleath waded into the water.

"They look good together," T'vor commented as he started undressing. "Cailleath seems to like him."

"Cailleath doesn't like anybody," Gwyn replied, running into the water. T'vor followed, admiring what he could see of the harper-turned-Queen rider's body. He had always liked Gwyn, even before she had Impressed Cailleath and he had high hopes for the gold's mating flight. Rinth was the strongest contender in Adreath the Senior Queen's mating flight and Herth, who caught her, would not fly Cailleath.

_Scrub me,_ Cailleath ordered the fire lizards that had shown up when they appeared and were now hovering about. Doog took charge and soon a dozen fire lizards were busily sanding Cailleath's skin. Happy to be bathed, Cailleath peremptorily told the rest of the hovering fire lizards to attend to "that big, bronze lump."

An hour later, baths were done and Cailleath, whose temper had improved as much as it ever would, decided she was tired and needed to nap.

"So sleep, dear heart," Gwyn smiled. "The beach is warm."

Gwyn and T'vor settled down under a large redfruit tree and T'vor pulled down two of the fruit. Gwyn smiled her thanks and ate with a good appetite. The sun was hot and beating down and it wasn't very long before T'vor and Gwyn joined their dragons in sleep.

The sun was lower in the sky when Gwyn abruptly woke up. She wasn't sure what had woken her, but something. T'vor was still asleep as was Cailleath, but Rinth was awake and watching the gold dragon intently. It took Gwyn a moment to figure out what was going on and in that moment, Cailleath woke up.

If Gwyn had thought that Cailleath was bad tempered before, it had been a Gather Day to what was going on in the gold's mind now. Raging thoughts of killing and blood flooded Gwyn's mind and she screamed soundlessly at the images. T'vor, awakened by Rinth's lust, realized exactly what was going on and grabbed Gwyn.

"Make her listen to you!" he yelled in the harper's ear. "Make her obey you! We have to get back to the Weyr!"

Gwyn focussed her thoughts with an effort and commanded Cailleath's obedience. Cailleath fought her but Gwyn's strength of will was stronger and the gold submitted wrathfully. T'vor flung Gwyn up onto Rinth's back and ordered Rinth back to Mackenzie, knowing that Cailleath would follow the only bronze around.

They burst into the air right above the feeding grounds and Cailleath, smelling the hot scent of blood, landed directly on top of a bawling herdbeast with a ground shaking bugle. From the Hatching Grounds, Adreath, two days past clutching and no threat, bugled back. Rinth landed close by and Gwyn, still linked to Cailleath's incredibly ferocious mind, slid off.

"Blood it, Cailleath!" Gwyn yelled, enforcing the order with her mind. "Don't eat that! Blood it!"

Cailleath, crouched over the beast, had already ripped the throat out and furrowed deep claw marks into the side. Hissing and growling at the watchers around, Cailleath grudgingly submitted to Gwyn's commands and sucked the herdbeast dry. A second herdbeast and a third followed the first and suddenly, with a glowing pulse of dark gold, Cailleath took off.

A streak of bronzes lifted after her, including Rinth. The other bronze riders had all made their way down to Gwyn's writhing body and together, though linked with their dragons, they managed to get Gwyn to an empty side weyr.

Cailleath flew higher than she had ever flown before, the wind whistling over her wings, the sun beating down on her golden body. She was free and none of those wretched bronzes would catch her, ever! Cailleath looked back at the small shapes behind her and flew higher. Arrogant even in her lust, she thought to flirt with her lovers and knew that anything they could do, she could do better and faster. In an almost vertical rise, she flew up higher, then circled around and sped towards the bronzes.

Surprised, the bronzes started upwards, obviously hoping to meet her. But Cailleath was fast in the air and was over them and beyond before they had even flown half the distance up. Looking back again, she exulted in her trick.

But not for long.

Talons dropped to her shoulders and a long bronze neck entwined around hers. Her wings fouled, Cailleath snapped her head back to bite at the intruder who DARED touch her! But it was too late. She was caught, and the flight was over save for the best part...

In the empty weyr, Gwyn's body shuddered and climaxed even as her dragon's did and the rider with her found his pleasure as well. Gwyn didn't know who held her and really didn't care as her body writhed and moved with the fire coursing through her. A last shuddering gasp and Gwyn's breathing started slowing as she calmed down. Her eyes opened at last and her first sight was the smiling face of a stranger.

"Hello," the stranger said, his voice ragged. "I don't think we've met."

Gwyn giggled and stretched luxuriously under him.

"We have now," she pointed out, admiring him. He was very handsome. "I'm Gwyn. The gold your bronze caught is Cailleath."

"I know," the stranger nodded. "I made a point of knowing who you were."

"Why?" Gwyn was genuinely curious. She was reasonably certain she'd never met this young man before.

"Because you are so very beautiful," he whispered, raising one hand and stroking her tangled hair back from her forehead. "I saw you at Igen and I've visited here a few times just to look at you."

This was very flattering, Gwyn thought to herself. But she still didn't know who he was!

"My name is L'iam, Weyrwoman," he said in a formal tone that was somewhat out of place in a rumpled bed. "I ride bronze Magreth and we are from Fort Weyr."

"Nice to meet you," Gwyn said formally, then broke down into giggles again. "This is the strangest way I have ever met someone!"

L'iam laughed too, and levered himself to have a better look at her. "It's not something I do on a regular basis."

"It was a nice coincidence that you were here when Cailleath rose," Gwyn told him, then cocked her head. "Or was it a coincidence?"

L'iam had the grace to blush.

"No, a brown rider friend of mine here called me when Cailleath was blooding her kills. That's why Magreth was the last off the ground."

"And that's the only reason he caught her," Gwyn remarked decidedly. "She'd still be flying if Magreth hadn't been late."

"True enough," L'iam nodded.

"It won't work next time, you know," Gwyn warned him. "Cailleath won't try the same stunt twice."

L'iam leaned down and kissed her lingeringly.

"Will we need Cailleath for the next time?" he inquired, a note of hope in his voice.

Gwyn just smiled.


End file.
